Comparison of pre-1914 poems showing very different attitudes to love
... 'And while thy willing soul transpires, at every pore with instant fires' This leads the reader to assume that she actually wants to make love to him with every pore in her body, despite the fact that on the outside, she does not appear to want to. The author's love for the woman is shown by the language he uses when he talks about her. When she is being described, vibrant colours and exotic language is used, phrases like: 'Thou by the Indian Ganges' side' . This language would obviously flatter and compliment her, the author is being flirtatious in order to win the woman onto his side. The line 'I would love you ten years before the flood' is an interesting one, I believe that Marvell wrote this with Biblical imagery in mind. It could mean that the author would love the woman even if he knew that they would both die in the flood, he would not be concerned about his own affairs, showing that she is very important to him. There is a 'Double Entendre' where the author writes 'My Vegetable love should grow' the 'vegetable' could symbolize the couple's love, which, given time will grow into something 'bigger than empires', but in order to grow, it must be germinated. The second meaning of this phrase could be referring to certain male genetalia, which gives the impression of 'growing'! This sexual innuendo is used suggestively and is a sort of hint to the woman reading it! He bombards her with small, petit compliments and flirtatious remarks in the first stanza of text, then, the author seems to calm down. His writing style becomes slower and more sincere in the second stanza as he starts talking about death and the eternal grave, much more solemn. He uses a lot of imagery, some quite obscene. The phrase 'Nor in thy marble vault, shall sound my echoing song; then worms shall try that long preserved virginity, and your quaint honor turn to dust' The author is saying that it doesn’t matter how long you held-off sex when you are dead, your honor will turn to dust. And that it would be a waste for her to die a virgin. This imagery is quite horrific, it is strong, and not at all romantic! It could be intended to frighten the woman into sleeping with the author. The author argues his case stylistically, in that it is based nearly solely on logic: Life is short, don't waste it. There appears to be little consideration for the woman's feelings. This kind of respect is widely seen as being vital to a loving relationship and the reader is questioned about whether the author actually has love for the woman. The third stanza begins with the words: 'Now therefore', this implies that the author is drawing to a conclusion, the wording of the phrase implies a structured, logical argument. This stanza is very much based on the assumption that the woman will subdue to his efforts and make love to him. The author is saying what they will do when the woman decides to give him her virginity. He uses imagery such as 'birds of prey', 'fires' and 'iron gates of life' The kind of love displayed in 'Porphyria's Lover' is quite different. The poem was written in 1834 by Robert Browning who died in 1889. Porphyria's Lover is a poem that would have shocked the 18th Century audience with its portrayal of murder. This is Browning's intention. The type of love discussed in this poem is more of a possessive type of love. The main point of the story is the author strangling his lover with her hair. Porphyria is a mental condition which stops the person from being able to sleep, this leads to insanity. This information could tie in with the motives of this poem. The poem starts by setting a dull scene, pathetic fallacy is used, the rain implies that something dramatic is about to happen. The author describes his lover's (Porphyria) movements gracefully, ‘glided’. When she enters, she does her best to make the cottage warm and hospitable by making a fire. The fact that she has come to him through the rain outside shows she loves him. Most of this time he is impassive, in that he is not actually doing anything, she is doing everything for him. However, through this time, he is describing her very flatteringly. From the text, it seems like Porphyria is attempting to seduce the author: 'And made her smooth white shoulder bare' and 'Murmuring how she loved me'. The use of the past tense shows the reader that something has already happened and that they must read on to find out. For the next few lines, the author is quite critical of Porphyria: 'Too weak for all her heart's endeavor, to set its struggling passion free from pride, and vainer ties dissever, and give herself to me forever' , he says she is vain and is weak. In line 33, it becomes apparent to the author that Porphyria actually worships him, he is the only thing on her mind. This is a situ...